13 Sep 2016

A 21-year-old youth from Kang in Kgalagadi District is making waves by breathing life into rundown buildings that include barber shops, hair salons and other structures around the village through art.

Mr Emanuel Kgobe was always eager to explore potent issues  such as street art and graffiti to make a living out of it.

The young artist is well-rounded and up-to-date on artistic developments.

Having completed his Form 5 at Matsha College last year with not so good marks, Mr Kgobe was faced with the challenge of putting food on the table

With a gift in art and a never die attitude, said in an interview that painting always fascinated him.

He compared street art with standard drawings and painting, saying the two types had different feelings, different emotions and a different atmosphere.

“When you are doing street art, you create a dialogue with passers-by, architecture, and nature and with other artists. Maybe on streets, art is not so durable, but it's for real and alive. These works live their own life”, said Mr Kgobe.

He said street art was visual art created in public locations, usually unsanctioned artwork executed outside of the context of traditional art venues.

He said he used free-hand aerosol paints to produce his works, adding that street art encompassed many other media and techniques, including: LED art, mosaic tiling, murals, stencil art, sticker art, Lock-On street sculptures, street installations, wheatpasting and woodblocking.

“Since my primary school days, I have always loved art and it is something I turned to after my disappointing BGSCE and it has helped me deal with a lot of things and also making a living for myself,” he said.

Entering his yard one would be led to colourful drawings and paintings that dot every wall of the old buildings reminding one of the adage that, ‘art is a God given talent discovered at childhood stage’.

Mr Kgobe never attended art classes at primary school but scooped all prizes upon his debut during art competitions.

His art teacher at junior school embraced and nurtured him after realising his God given talent.

However, other teachers emphatically repudiated his credentials by ridiculing him with a view that art wwould not take him anywhere.  

Mr Kgobe said he developed a habit of missing other lessons but he never displayed the same act during art classes.

Despite the shortage of materials, Mr Kgobe said he rediscovered his devotion of becoming a full time artist upon his Cambridge completion.

He said he would like to establish a fully-fledged street art gallery in Kang which will help woo tourists to the northern part of Kgalagadi, something that would help boost the country’s economy as well as create employment.

To actualise this vision, Mr Kgobe approached the department of youth and culture for financial assistance and also applied to register a company.

He said his plan, for now, was not to make profit but rather focus on establishing his credentials in the art industry, something that would ultimately pay dividends in due course. ENDS